However well an organisation manages conflict, formal disputes and even litigation are still likely to arise from time to time. Nevertheless, the key to organisational efficiency is to ensure that, even in such circumstances, cases are managed on a strategic and systematic basis so as to achieve the optimal outcome for the organisation in terms of its overall business strategy and objectives.
Only very rarely will an optimal outcome mean 'win at all costs', and a far more likely strategy for most organisations will be to seek to resolve the dispute in as cost effective means as possible, minimising in particular both the executive time distracted by protracted disputes and the commercial risk associated with sustained uncertainty as to their outcome.
By analysing the ways in which an organisation approaches conflict, including litigation, CEDR's 'Conflict culture survey’ can assess whether it is 'easy to do business with' or whether, possibly through an excessively hostile or litigious approach to conflict, an organisation might not only be incurring unnecessary risk, but also damaging its reputation as a prospective business partner and wasting the resources of both itself and stakeholders.
CEDR's 'Conflict audit' and 'dispute systems design' services work in combination to provide clients with a systematic cost and risk management strategy for early identification, analysis and cost effective resolution of disputes, whatever the business sector. They can be applied to all categories of dispute, including:
We can also offer 'independent review' or 'investigation' of critical situations to help inform managers of the core issues in a problem situation, and how they might best be addressed.
16 Jun 2008
Strategies from the experts: June 08
13 Jun 2008
The cost of conflict in the wake of the credit crunch
22 May 2008
European Union approves Mediation Directive
21 Apr 2008
CEDR revises its Model Mediation Agreement and Procedure
Thursday 11 September 2008
'Meet the Mediators' - Sheffield
Thursday 18 September 2008
The Managing Conflict Series: Effective conflict management, leadership and organisational culture
Wednesday 24 September 2008
(runs 08.30-10.00).Difficult conversations in periods of uncertainty